yup… in RL, a girl with M’s attributes would mean they are about 5 times the size of her head.. there are some stocky girls that have similar proportions ( eg ‘lotta topp’ when she was younger) , but most surgery just produces ‘spherical’ shapes…

Measuring on my screen in the first frame, her chest is 7/8″ at the longest, and her head 2″ at the longest (chin to top back of head). So each breast is smaller than her head.

There are several girls who have genetics that lean this way. Some of those large girls you see out there would not appreciably loose chest if they dieted down as much as necessarily. Many of us choose to enjoy M’s diet and simply get large rather than be treated like freaks.

Others in M’s position go in for surgery so we look more normal, clothes fit, and people stop being obnoxious.

Personally I went both routs. I had 5lbs cut out of my chest when I was 21 (I’m only 5’4″ tall), then when I was 27 I started getting fat. My chest continued to grow slowly on and off the whole time. Now I’m in my 30’s and living healthier so I’m lean again, but I’m still a 32F. If I hadn’t had the surgery, I’d have been 5lbs of lean breast tissue bigger.

There’s a lot of us out here who resemble M’s plight in one way or another. Many of us love reading this comic partly because of Paul’s insightful treatment of the subject.

and yes, I am sympathetic to M’s plight…
A good friend of mine back in the ’80s had about the same body problems as her – she was less than 5 foot, italian, and her chest hung down past her waist… but she did have a good body otherwise… 🙂

she found she qualified for free reduction on the NHS, so she got them reduced to a ‘nice comfortable 36DD’ , she gleefully said! 😀 😀

ahhh it was a much nicer world back then, you could trust the value of things…

Maybe the demon’s return is related to her sudden awareness of her aging yesterday (?) morning and her need to get into better shape. After all, most of the demons seem to be related to personal issues and problems.

And–they always seem to show up where we are. There’s an old monastic saying that, if every boat makes you seasick, it’s not the boats’ fault. And wherever you go, you are there.

Yeah good old gym class, where the coach’s favorites got to run rampant over the rest of us, including those of us who would rather have spent the time in the library for all the good it did us.

I can’t run laps, I hate any kind of sport based on knocking/throwing a ball around and running (there ARE others, thank you!), always picked last, and made a laughing stock by the Athletes of Tomorrow who were destined to someday wear a Varsity jacket of some kind.

Nah, not bitter … not at all. Probably has nothing to do with why I didn’t have anything resembling a healthy body until *after* I joined the Navy, nor why I lost it so quickly after leaving the Navy and no longer having the structure of military life dictating my shape and instead falling back on what I learned (yeah right) from gym class.

Confession time. I played football(the American kind) in high school. I also played D&D and hung out with my nerdy friends and took art classes. If theres one consolation you can take away from the life all those jocks lived, it’s that most of them have let them selves go just as much as you say you have and they have joints that are wrecked to boot. I played the line and due to “accidents” my knees are trashed. At 43 I’ve got the knees of an 80 year old. And a shouder that needs replacing. ‘Course some of the stuff I did in the Army may have contributed to that.

I could run (was on the cross-country team for three years) but that got no respect from the PE teachers. The cross-country coaches were biology and English teachers, not PE teachers. They kept trying to talk me into trying out for football–they gave up on basketball after seeing my non-existent jump shot.

The ironic thing was that the cross-country team was constantly winning the conference, frequently the district, and sometimes the state championship, whereas the football team never finished above .500 and thus never participated in post-season play.

I was the quintessential nerd of my small farming community – into computers and math. I never had a problem with getting good grades in gym, but I never cared for it. I preferred solitary exercise and started getting into running and weight-lifting, which really surprised my teachers and classmates alike. Good thing too since I had a smart mouth. 🙂 Then my math teacher, who I respected, asked me to go out for wrestling so I figured why not since normal school honestly wasn’t challenging enough. Surprised people even more, and gave me more ammo to use against the true jocks who thought they were hot shit and still picked on me and the other nerds – I could tell the football players who called me, “Mat Fag,” that at least I had a winning record the past year, or that since I was in marching band and had to go to every single football game, I knew what it was like to win, yet I can’t seem to remember even a single touchdown being scored by us the last 3 games. It also came in handy when I decided to end the ritualized bullying in band class – something called red bellies where you grab freshmen, take them down to the ground and take turns beating on their stomachs. They couldn’t get me my freshman year, and when the upperclassman asshole who most enjoyed this practice tried to get me on his own the next year, he got taken down in a painful hold, and while the rest of the class circled round us, I issued the fatwa that there would be no more red bellies if people knew what was good for them. Freshmen loved me. The upperclassmen didn’t, but by that time I was bigger than they were. 🙂

As much as the alteration for Gym works pretty good, I believe the proper full version goes:
Those who can, Do.
Those who can not do, Teach.
Those who can not teach, Administrate.
Those who can not Administrate, go into Politics.
(Shows you where we got all of those politicians…)

Although I like them for aesthetic reasons, I’ve never been much of a boob fan. I love them smaller, personally. But I LOVE a cute butt and long hair. The last panel is sexier to me than the previous three days.

A short-stature woman compensating with high heels and battling with a high center of gravity… is Monica not going to do anything until she is suffering leg tendons damage and crippling back injuries? From experience, youthful physical resilience starts breaking down in the mid-30’s. M may be in a situation to poit pain away…

*crosses my legs daintily* TheEngineer cooks. the ex husband comes and cleans. i still have a large collection of naughty doodles and hot poetry from otherloves who have passed through the veil.

all i need is the *ability* to wear heels… *sighs* tearing all the ligaments loose on the outside of my right foot in 1980 cured THAT ability, permanently. i look good in them, but two hours wear means i’m on crutches the next day unable to put weight on that foot. so pretty flats it is.

I never liked that quote. Probably because I had some exceptional teachers over the years who are still people I respect. Those people felt teaching was a calling of sorts, and did it with passion that was contagious and motivating.

The coaches/PE teachers I’ve known reserved their passion for the sports they coached. PE class was a necessary evil…and heaven help you if you had to attend an academic class they taught.

the lecturer that cannot get respect from the employment market full of idiots that just want young idiots that can be told what to do, or just look pretty… like the fully qualified experienced PA that does not have a model girl figure, so rejected for some bimbo… 🙁

I’ll second that last bit. Last mandatory gym class I had to take was my first high school freshman semester. Then I had to take the mandatory health care class, also taught by the gym teacher. The sex education chapter literally was this:
Okay, chapter 8, reproductive and sexual health. *pause* Anyone *NOT* know? Okay, chapter 9, dental hygiene.

“Coach” was also one of the drivers ed teachers during the summer. We learned how to drive both out in the country and in the big city north of our small farming town. He would routinely fall asleep during country driving so we would remain really quiet and drive out as far as we could and get ourselves lost and see if he could direct us back.

I used to hate that quote too, until the day I realized I was misreading it: “those who can, do – those who can’t, teach”. This does NOT mean those who teach are incompetent.

It simply means that those who actually practice something as a career (those who can, do) reach the point where they can no longer stay in the field, so they become a teacher and pass the knowledge (those who can’t, teach) to the next generation.

That phrase was meant as a consolation for those of us reaching the end of their “viable working years” in how they can still be a contribution – not as a slam on those who do teach. That way of using that saying was a perversion of the original, used by a few jerks who wanted to slam their teachers.

As for being assigned as the school’s PE Instructor being a baaaaaad sign about your teaching abilities (unless you have a Master’s Degree in Physiology – only PE teacher I actually respected!), that is still true, yes.

The demon is right. Resentment is like drinking poison ans expecting it to kill the enemy; however, I think M is just doing some inner work here rather than dwelling on past injuries. She’s got a lot of ammunition, that lady, and it’s not all physical.

Of cause i cant say what the exact meaning is above but have you ever tried being in a PE class where one or more is a athlete or similar “star pupil”? Lets just say the teacher dont concentrate on the less promising kids at all 😀

Actually, the below-average kids are better off if the PE teachers concentrate on the “stars” and ignore the others, rather than singling-out the low-achievers and attempting to “motivate” them through sarcasm, ridicule, and punishment drills. I couldn’t hit a basketball free-throw to save my life, and being told to grind out pushups as punishment for missing didn’t do a thing to improve my shooting skills.

Showers and nudity? Two words. Towel snapping. This is a thing. Usually with a wet end. I was big enough, strong enough, and combative enough not to have experienced it, but I know those who have. Not pleasant. Don’t forget Monica delveloped early. Anyone different is usually a target for some type of abuse. She was probably teased. Kids can be cruel.

Imagine a class, that is supposed to expose you to a wide variety of athletic passtimes as well as condition your bodies, because God forbid you can’t have these young men and women have recess because who knows what would happen then. Now imagine that this class must be passed in order to graduate. Now imagine a fifty year old jock is teaching this class because he was not good enough to go pro. Now imagine that this man is bored and slightly sadistic. Now imagine he’s given a whole bunch of kids to “torture” and your body is not built well for most athletic endevers. Ask yourself if you would like any phyical activity after being around this guy two days a week for six years. He ruined any inclination to participate or enjoy sports. To top all of this off, imagine you have to get naked and take a shower after all of this and if you don’t you will fail… Imagine.

I hated gym in school too – the fat kid from Kindergarten thru Senior year. When I got to college I took Heinlein’s advice – studied Archery, Fencing, Riflery and Pistol shooting. Had there been Kendo I would have gone there, too. Traditional fencing, while fun, is not all that useful, but I couldn’t (and still can’t) afford martial arts training.

So, I guess I’ll have to shoot ’em before they get to me.

I think it was Kaiser Wilhelm once asked the ruler of Sweden what the one million man Swiss army would do when five million German soldiers swarmed over the border.
He said, “Each soldier would fire five shots and go home.”

Guys…. the only things “packing” are her mammeries… and her uterus. PE had nothing to do with this. She’s knocked up. There’s a bun in the oven. The seed has planted. YOU CANNOT EXERCISE OFF LACTATION!!! Doubt will have a field day, but right now doubt is clueless… just like she is. Apparently her demons are only aware of what she is aware of.
I wonder if she pukes today? Probably too early

In any case, I just assume Kevin is around the same way the Museum is still there and Minnesota is a still a state of the Union. Mon did mention sex earlier this week, so we have confirmation that that is still a thing in her life.

Ah, right. Okay so that was winter (which lasts a pretty good, long while in Minnesota) and now in the comic there’s no snow.
So yeah, PLENTY of time to get preggers and start exhibiting mood swings and “swelling”. Total possibility.

But… Monica strikes me as someone who would take precautions like the pill to prevent that from happening. Not that I don’t think she’d be a good mom, but I don’t see her as wanting to be a mom just yet.
Babies take up a lot of time, and she’s got her day job, her supernatural job, partying with her friends… plus I think she’d want to get married before starting a family.

She’s too cautious and practical to have an active sex life and NOT use some kind of protection… Unless Paul wants to do some kind of storyline that tackles abortion, and I REALLY hope that’s not the case… That goes into all KINDS of ugly controversy that I just don’t want to see happening here.

To clarify my previous comment:
I consider my son to be a “pleasant surprise”. All good!

None of that negative “accident” stuff. That’s mean, and can really wreck a kid, once they learn about it… (for they inevitably will, at one point or another… it’s even worse if they learn about it as part of an argument with their parent.)

I hope not. Besides, it’s my understanding that pregnancy firms up the boobs… or is that just after delivery? Anyway, hopefully there are a lot of good supernatural adventures ahead before Paul feels the need to add a sprog to the mixture. I’m already “upset” at the turn of events in 9 Chickweed Lane with one of the characters being knocked up. 🙂

Some gym classes are co-ed, and in that case, the gender of the teacher is irrelevant. Granted, I only had co-ed PE classes through elementary school (mandatory gender divisions starting in 6th grade), but I’ve heard plenty of people tell stories of co-ed classes all the way into high school.

The amendment was to engage an equal value in education to all students (including ones like Monica), its greatest impact addressing a lack of funds for girls sports. Since jocks get the attention in gym class, it’s of a piece, socially.

We have 24 hours in the day. Ten (or more) of those hours are spent sleeping, showering and eating. Depending on travel situation, anywhere form 9 to 11 of the remaining 14 hours those kids are in the custody of the school and it is the sole place those kids hope to learn ANYTHING which is why we send them in the first place.

So is it the school’s job? Damn right it is! That’s why we sent them in the first place. Because thanks to the way the economy has been for over 30 years now, most families can’t really afford to have a stay at home parent anymore nor can they afford a nanny. So both parents work and the kids go to a public school – if they aren’t taught that fitness is good there, by a professional who should be able to do so properly, where will they learn it?

Oh right – from a burned out parent who just put in 9-10 hours of dealing with a mind-numbing job that drained them of their physical and mental energy for the day. But they should still have it in them to go play sports or do calisthenics for an hour? If it works out that way great – but most likely it won’t.

This isn’t the 50’s anymore – things have changed.

This is why I have no problem paying taxes for public schools even though I have no kids of my own in the system – I am paying for the education of the next generation, the ones who will be in control when I am too old to do anything about it. I WANT THEM TRAINED!

When murder is organized well enough we call it war, and participants soldiers who are rewarded with honor. When thieving is orchestrated on a grand enough level we call it banking, and its captains are rewarded with wealth.

Organizing knowledge and education of the young is as ancient a practice as either of those, including their physical education. It’s as much in the interest of the state as the individual.

As for the economy, the more people participating in it is supposed to expand it; women create jobs and opportunities too. Arguing otherwise is from the 1950s, and full of straw.

Professionals in all those occupations know the difference between the explanations and the reality. I was demeaning none of them. Killing and usury with impunity can be deemed legal, moral, etc. What dogma did you think better of me than? Just curious, because you seem to need me to fit one anyway.

The jobs-only model you describe is not operable because of a tight money market and globalization. This won’t change because any of the parameters you mentioned. But it is changing of necessity with stuff like crowdsourcing. I mentioned opportunities, because that’s what educated young people are making for themselves, since few others are. They are expanding their own economy.

That leaves resource scarcity putting pressures on the general market. But that means more opportunities! And you’ll need armies, so there’s more jobs now in the US Armed Forces opening up, women included. If it’s jobs you’re focussed on.

Oh, right. Yummy Tea. Thanks. Brain may have filed that under “recess”.

The only anime I’ve seen featuring coed sports had such fantasy twists, that it was a bit hard to tell. And though I have a source in British education, PE has never come up. An anecdotal sign that maybe more attention needs to be summoned to it.

RE: Monica and Photoshop
There was a question this week on how much of the shading in the images of Monica were done in Photoshop.
Due to first hand knowledge, I can now confirm that, apart from the Sepia tones in the images, 0% of the shading was done in Photoshop. I have seen the originals for Tuesday and Wednesday. The background was added for posting. The sepia tone as well, but they are not on the original art! The shading on the original art is grey brushpens as with other art Paul has done.